Hayden and Ashlee, July 2011. Ice cream, Hawaiian shirts and a redhead - does it get any more summer than that? These two are just too friggin’ hilarious to watch these days. They put Ricky and Lucy to shame.
Friends! Please bear with me. This blog does indeed still exist and I’ll be posting some interesting things in the next short while. Trust me, there is a very reasonable explanation for my posting drought. No, I’m not living in the Big Brother house. And I’m PROBABLY not harvesting the organs of cadavers on the side.
Just be patient. I PROMISE it will be worth it. Or your money back.
Here’s a photo of my mom (third from the left), and my seven aunts and uncles on my mom’s side. A year ago at this time? I thought I only had SIX. It’s a long, complicated, amazing story. Those who know me best have already heard it, and they can’t believe it. I still pinch myself from time to time, too. ;-)
So I’m going back to work tomorrow after 12 days off. “Summer holidays”, you might call them. I had a comprehensive list of things that I wanted to accomplish on my time off, and one might assume that 12 whole days would be ample time to make a dent in said list. Well, one MIGHT assume, but one MIGHT also not realize how good it feels to sleep in past 7:30 a.m. for the first time in 30-plus months. Or how easy it is to get lost in an episode of Special Agent Oso. Especially the one where Oso shows a young boy how to eat with chopsticks - damn, bear can work a paw!
Anyway, I accomplished only a very miniscule portion of my list. The little stuff, like “Make sure you run the dishwasher”, and “Hayden needs to eat approximately 3 times per day”. Shit, I could do THAT stuff after nine Miller Chills. I don’t, as a general rule, but it might make a cool challenge some day.
I had good intentions to organize my dining room. I know - those of you who have been in my house are scratching your heads, perplexed at where this dining room could be located. That room that you can see from my living room? With all the wrapping paper and books and sweat socks and Hot Wheels and Ming vases? THAT’S my dining room. There’s a table under there if you wanna get a blow dryer and remove the thick layer of dust.
(You’re totally not coming over the next time I invite you for Chinese food, are you?)
Enough about my junk room. That obviously didn’t get done. I did try to move a couple of items at a time, to their proper places, but every time I would try to sneak into that vicinity, I’d hear the pitter-patter of small feet behind me and then the inevitable “What are you doing, Mommy?” And then “Oooh, what’s ZIS?” “Do you need this Mommy?” “Is it garbage?” And so on. I then usually give up and suggest that we go shoot cans off the fence in the backyard. (R.I.P. Fluffy.)
Refreshingly, though I didn’t get a lot of CONSTRUCTIVE things done on my holidays, I had the chance to do some construction on my SOUL (Totes selling that line to Hallmark, so step off!) I met new family (long story, for another, more blubbery, blog post), had some beach time, some shopping time, some photography time, spent some time with great friends, and relaxed with my boys.
So, honestly? Yeah. My vacation was AMAZING.
And I get to do it all again in 2 weeks! (Poor me.) :-)
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Ah, prom. I didn’t think I was old until I realized that I was 12 years older than these kids. That calls for a tequila shot and some make-outs. (Shot from St. Theresa’s prom, June 2011)
OMG.
This is the conversation I just had with Hayden. Please keep in mind that he’s 2.5 years of age.
Me: “Hey, you little scamp! Bring that back to me!” (after Hayden had just swiped the ice cream sandwich that we were SHARING from of the end table.)
Hayden: “Okayyyyyy.” (bringing dessert back to me)
Me, laughing: “You took that from me and hoped I wouldn’t notice, didn’t you?!”
Hayden, avec shit-eating grin: “Uh-huh! ‘Cause I’m a MAN!”
Except he pronounced the word “man” with 3 syllables: “MAY-yuhn-nuh”.
I wish I were kidding about this. I expect him to be walking around in a smoking jacket smelling of Brut any day now.
Katie’s little Lucas isn’t so little anymore! Here’s a shot of him at 5 months with his Nana. Love the look of complete enchantment on her face. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen her so happy.
On both Saturday and Sunday morning, during your first weekend off in eons, fetch the toddler who still wakes up at RIDICULOUS O’CLOCK and take him out to fetch coffee and breakfast fixings, leaving me at home ALONE for some “me” time. Sure, I basically just laid in bed for 10 extra minutes, then got up to pick up toys, feed the cat, etc., but it was GLORIOUS SOLITUDE.
You sure know how to get into my pants.
Ottawa in May. In black and white. That is all.
Ask me if we have a computer so you can “order Aunt Britt”. I know you love her, but she was only available on Ebay for a limited time. And the shipping costs would have been appalling! Let’s just buy a bottle of Malibu Rum and she’ll sniff her way back here in due course, m’kay?